Shoe Sole With Ventilation, And Shoe Having Such A Sole

ABSTRACT

The shoe sole ( 1 ) comprises a flexible chamber ( 6 ) arranged therein, with at least one inlet ( 5 ) and at least one outlet ( 9 ). The shoe sole (I) also comprises an inlet valve ( 15 ) assigned to the inlet ( 5 ), and an outlet valve ( 19 ) assigned to the outlet ( 9 ), wherein the flexible chamber ( 6 ) is arranged in the front region of the shoe sole ( 1 ), where an air inlet space ( 4 ) of the shoe sole ( 1 ) is also provided. The air inlet space ( 4 ) is connected by the inlet valve to the chamber ( 6 ) which is open to the environment via openings ( 2 ) in the insole ( 3 ). Moreover, the chamber ( 6 ) is corrected by the outlet valve to the outlet ( 9 ) on the outer face of the shoe sole ( 1 ) outside the insole ( 3 ). The chamber ( 6 ) is tilled almost completely with an elastically deformable material ( 16 ), which is such that, during its elastic expansion, it absorbs air and, during its compression, it releases air that has previously been absorbed. In this way, an air circulation that feels comfortable to the foot can be achieved in the shoe having this sole.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a shoe sole with a compressible chambercontaining an elastically deformable material with at least one airinlet and at least one air outlet and in each case an inlet valveassigned to the air inlet and an outlet valve assigned to the airoutlet, wherein the chamber is connected by the inlet valve and an airinlet space to air passages disposed on the upper face of the shoe soleand wherein the chamber is connected by the outlet valve to an openingon the shoe sole outside the upper face thereof. The invention furtherrelates to a shoe having such a shoe sole and also to a method forsetting the damping in a shoe having such a shoe sole.

BACKGROUND

A shoe sole of the above-mentioned type is known from DE 199 24 256 C1.This sole should effect optimal shock absorption. Damping elements madeof plastic are disposed in the heel region of this shoe sole forabsorbing shocks. During the production of the shoe sole the magnitudeof the damping can be adapted by the choice of the damping elements. Thedamping elements are disposed in a chamber. This serves additionally forventilation of the shoe equipped with the sole, so that, during walking,air is drawn out of the interior of the shoe into the chamber and thisair is subsequently expelled. A further shoe sole with damping is knownfrom DE 196 40 655, wherein in the ball region and in the heel regiondeformable cavities are provided which are connected to one another andto the outer region via conduits. Furthermore, however, there is a verygreat need to improve the comfort when wearing and walking in shoes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to improve the comfort whenwearing and walking in shoes through the creation of an improved shoesole or an improved show base. This should primarily improve theventilation in order to achieve a good shoe climate. The shoe soleshould be equally suitable for all every day, work, leisure and sportsshoes and should be capable of being produced simply andcost-effectively and suitable for all designs of a shoe.

In a shoe sole as set out in the introduction, this object is achievedin that the chamber is disposed in the front region of the shoe sole andis filled almost completely with an elastically deformable material,which is such that, during its elastic expansion, it absorbs air and,during its compression, it releases air which has previously beenabsorbed.

It can be seen that particularly good ventilation can be achievedthrough the arrangement of the chamber in the front region. Furthermoregood comfort when walking is obtained. The almost complete filling ofthe chamber with the elastically deformable material which absorbs theair and releases it again makes possible, through the combination of itsown elasticity and through the partial compression of the air containedtherein when it is released from the material, a very good aircirculation cycle, which is explained in greater detail below, removingthe stale or used moist air for example containing sweat particles fromthe interior of the shoe with every step, and drawing fresh air into theinterior of the shoe when the foot is lifted. Furthermore, damping isobtained for the foot when treading, which produces a very pleasantsensation when walking. During walking the chamber is loaded on itsupper face by the foot with every step when treading and is therebycompressed and expands again with the relief of load when the foot islifted. Through the almost complete filling of the chamber with theelastic material, the part of the sole, for example the insole, whichcloses off the chamber at the top towards the foot and with each step isdeformed, uniformly stressed or uniformly supported by the filling ofthe chamber with the material and thus is not subject to excessivematerial fatigue in the air circulation process. Thus “collapse” of theshoe sole is prevented from the interior of the shoe. This increases thecomfort when walking and the durability of the insole.

The shoe base or the shoe sole according to the present invention issuitable for all designs of shoe. It may be a directly soled design withthe shoe base or sole injection molded on, in particular with an innersole applied by a Strobel process, or it may be a stitched design. In apreferred embodiment the shoe sole or the shoe base has a design with aninsole and an outsole, wherein the insole forms the outer surface of thechamber and has the passages to the air inlet space which is connectedto the chamber.

Thus the embodiment of the shoe base or the sole according to theinvention can be used both for a conventional sole construction forhigh-quality shoes and also for sneakers or other shoes. The requiredventilation function and also damping function achieved, wherein owingto the claimed structure the insole can be well supported in the frontregion and thus does not undergo excessive loading.

It is also preferable that the air inlet space is disposed in the frontregion of the shoe sole, in particular before the chamber. This producesa particularly good structure of the sole and makes it possible to placean extensive ventilation region and also damping region at the locationsuitable therefor. For the elastically deformable material an open-cellplastic is preferred, which is foam-like or sponge-like and during itselastic expansion absorbs air and, during compression with the walkingmovement or when, releases previously absorbed air again. Preferably theelastically deformable material, or in particular the open-cell plastic,itself already has a sufficient restoring force or acts as a springmeans, so that this material alone effects the expansion of the chamberand thus the drawing in of air during the relief of load on the upperface of the chamber, without the need for a further means, in particulara separate spring means. However, such a separate spring means can beprovided, for example in the form of at least one plastic spring or atleast one metal spring, which is disposed in addition to the elasticmaterial in the chamber and which supports the expansion of the chamberafter compression thereof and subsequent relief of loading. Theelastically deformable material can be disposed in an airtight sleevewhich has at least one inlet connection and at least one outletconnection. This simplifies the sole construction or production, sincethen the chamber disposed in the sole does not need to be airtight. Anyspring which may be present is then also accommodated in the sleeve. Ifthe elastic material which absorbs air or releases air is disposedwithout a sleeve in the chamber, then this chamber itself must beairtight (with the exception of the air inlet and the air outlet). Thesole can be implemented in this way, but necessitates a correspondingconstruction or corresponding production. The foam material may containadditives with known antibacterial action.

The flexibly compressible chamber can also be subdivided by partitionwalls or partition members into a plurality of flexibly compressiblechamber regions, preferably in the longitudinal and/or transversedirection with respect to the shoe sole. Then each chamber region isalmost completely filled with the material. In this case “almostcompletely” may be understood in all configurations of the invention tomean a filling of the chamber with the material which results in no oronly very small unfilled cavities. The chamber can in particular befilled with the material to 90% or more, in particular to 95% or more ofits chamber volume in the rest position.

A throttle is preferably provided in addition to the air outlet valve inthe air outlet. Thus the damping can be better controlled than with a“free” release of via the outlet valve, which generally already has acertain throttle action due to its design. However, the throttling ofthe air can be determined or adjustable more precisely with a throttlewhich is explicitly provided in addition to the valve. The outlet valvecan be structurally combined with the throttle or the outlet valve andthe throttle can be separate components. The throttle is preferably anadjustable throttle or a throttle disposed replaceably in the shoe sole,which enables a simple adaptation of the damping. An opening for theused air to escape is advantageously disposed laterally on the sole,which is to say not on the underside thereof. In the case of anadjustable or replaceable throttle, this may then be disposed in thelateral opening of the sole, which results in good accessibility foradjustment or replacement of the throttle. However, the opening for theused air can also be disposed on the underside of the sole, if the usedair is released into a shoulder of the shoe disposed below the sole.This then generally has a lateral opening for release of the air, whichagain can have the aforementioned throttle. Thus for the presentinvention the term “shoe sole” is understood to mean the entire shoebase with or without a shoulder.

In a preferred embodiment of the shoe sole a second chamber, likewisefilled with elastic material of the same type, having valves (inletvalve and outlet valve), and preferably also with a throttle in theoutlet, is provided in the heel region. This throttle may also beadjustable or replaceable. The second chamber is preferably likewiseconnected to an air inlet space. This air inlet space can, when viewedin the longitudinal direction of the sole towards the ball region, bedisposed before the second chamber. Preferably the two chambers are notconnected to one another.

The invention also relates to a shoe with a shoe sole according to theinvention. This produces the explained advantages for the shoe. The shoemay be a man or woman's shoe or a child's shoe and may be an everyday,work, leisure or sports shoe. The shoe may be a summer, winter orall-year shoe. For the person skilled in the art it is obvious thatconstruction of the shoe base or the shoe sole according to theinvention is applicable for any design, that is to say for the directlysoled design, in particular with an injection molded design and inparticular with an inner sole applied by a Strobel process. This alsoapplies to the stitched design.

The invention further relates to a method for adjusting the ventilationand also the damping in a shoe with a shoe sole which has an adjustableor replaceable throttle for the air released through the outlet of thechamber, wherein the ventilation and the damping is adjusted byadjustment of the adjustable throttle or by replacement of the throttlewith a throttle having a different passage. In a simple manner thisenables the adaptation of the ventilation and also the adaptation of thedamping to the body weight and the personal wishes of the wearer of theshoes in the finished shoe, for example before delivery thereof or inthe shoe shop at the time of the sale and also at a later stage by theowner of the shoe.

By adaptation of the throttle cross-section the adjustable throttleenables a change to the ventilation and damping, wherein thecorresponding damping characteristic is linear, progressive ordegressive depending upon the embodiment. In this case it is possible toadjust the shoe sole to the corresponding body weight by hand, forexample with a coin or a screwdriver. Depending upon the embodiment theadjustment takes place in individual stages or gradually. Thereplaceable throttle as an alternative embodiment likewise enables anadjustment of the damping values, wherein one or more throttle(s)adapted to a specific body weight are inserted into the shoe sole, forexample in stages from 40-50 kg, from 50-60 kg, 60-70 kg etc.

The employed valves or throttles are closed so as to be airtight andwatertight. They are preferably designed to be low-noise, oil-resistantand fireproof and thus also particularly suitable for work shoes havingsuch soles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further embodiments, advantages and applications of the invention areapparent from the dependent claims and from the following descriptionwith reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a vertical section through a shoe with a shoe sole or ashoe base according to the invention in a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic view of the lower part of the shoe soleaccording to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the elastic material disposed in a sleeve;

FIG. 4 shows an upper sole part or an insole with openings in the frontregion which form the passages to the air inlet chamber;

FIG. 5 shows a vertical section through a shoe with a shoe sole or ashoe base in a second embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows a diagrammatic view of the lower part of the shoe soleaccording to FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows the elastic material in an airtight sleeve for use in thepump chamber of the heel region; and

FIG. 8 shows an upper sole part or an insole with additional passages inthe heel region.

WAYS OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 to 5 show a first embodiment of a shoe sole or a shoe baseaccording to the invention or a shoe equipped therewith. FIG. 1 shows avertical section through a shoe 10 having the shoe sole 1. First of allthe air circulation is explained:

a) The used air A located in the shoe is drawn in via passages oropenings 2 in the upper face of the shoe sole out of the interior of theshoe via an air inlet space 4 in the sole 1 and via an air inlet 5 inthe chamber 6 at the moment in which the previously compressed chamber 6expands again, i.e. when the shoe sole 1 is lifted from the floor andthe sole is relieved of load thereby. In this case an air inlet valve,which for the sake of better clarity is not shown in FIG. 1, iseffective between the space and the chamber 6;

b) thus at the same time fresh air Fr, which replaces the used air A, isdrawn in from the outside of the shoe into the inside of the shoe by anunderpressure generated at this moment in the interior of the shoe. Thusthe ventilation effect is achieved;

c) the used air A is first of all stored temporarily in the chamber 6until the next time the user treads on the shoe sole 1; and

d) finally, the next time the user treads and rolls on the shoe sole 1,the used air A is released to the environment outside the shoe by theloading and thus the compression of the chamber 6 through an outlet 8(which may be a channel or a conduit) via an outlet valve, also notshown for the sake of clarity, through an air outlet 9 in the region ofthe outside of the shoe. In this case the outlet valve may be disposedat any point in the air path between the chamber 6 and the air outlet 9,but in particular in the outlet 9, where the valve can be disposed sothat it is accessible from the outside.

Then with a new lifting of the foot and the relief of loading on theshoe sole 1 a new air circulation cycle begins with the step a).

Moreover, when the shoe sole 1 steps or rolls on the floor, the shoesole 1 according to the invention enables shock absorption, representedby the arrow D in FIG. 1 illustrated, as a result of the compression ofthe chamber 6 filled with used air A. After the relief of loading thechamber expands in direction of the arrow F.

The combination of periodic air circulation in quick succession anddamping/spring action DF results in considerably improved comfort in theshoes even over a comparatively long period of time. Moreover thedescribed characteristics of the shoe sole 1 according to the inventionalso result in extraordinarily positive effects in people suffering backpain.

FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic plan view of the lower part of the shoe sole1. In this connection the air inlet space 4, the chamber 6 and the airinlet 5 thereof and the air outlet 9 on the outer face of the shoe sole1 are shown. The outlet 9 could also be disposed directly in the sidewall of the chamber 6, but in the illustrated example the outlet 9 isconnected to the chamber 6 via a channel 8 disposed in the sole 1. Theoutlet can also open into a shoulder of the shoe separate from the sole,or the channel or the conduit 8 leads directly into the shoulder, and inthis case the waste air is discharged to the environment via an airoutlet opening in the shoulder. In this case an outlet valve can bedisposed in the shoulder. For the sake of better clarity the inlet valve15 on the corresponding inlet opening 5 and the outlet valve 19, whichhere is employed directly in the opening of the sole or the air outlet 9of the sole, are only indicated in FIG. 2. These valves 15 and 19 may bevalves of conventional construction which are known to the personskilled in the art. The function of the inlet valve 15 is to enable thepassage of air from the air inlet space 4 into the chamber 6 via the airinlet 5 when an underpressure prevails in the chamber 6 by comparisonwith the space 4. On the other hand the valve 15 blocks the air flowfrom the chamber 6 back into the space 4, when the same or a higher airpressure prevails in the chamber 6 than in the space 4. The outlet valve19 has the function of allowing the passage of air from the chamber 6 tothe air outlet 9 and thus to the environment when an overpressureprevails in the chamber 6 by comparison with the ambient pressure. Onthe other hand the valve 19 blocks the air path from the outlet 9 to thechamber 6 when an underpressure prevails in the chamber 6 by comparisonwith the ambient pressure outside the shoe. In this way the valves 15and 19 enable the previously described air circulation and preventanother air flow. The valves are commercially available valve and areairtight and watertight in the closed position. They are preferablylow-noise, oil-resistant and fireproof in a defined manner. The colorand shape of the valves may be chosen to match the shoe. As mentioned,they can be combined with an adjustable or a non-adjustable throttle forthe outflow of air.

The chamber 6 is filled almost completely with an elastically deformablematerial 16, which is such that, during its elastic expansion, itabsorbs air and, during its compression, it releases air which haspreviously been absorbed. In FIG. 2 the material 16 is only partiallyillustrated in order to make the drawing clearer. The chamber 6 iscompletely filled with the material 16, wherein this means that thechamber has practically no cavities which are not filled. Naturally afilling of the chamber 6 with the material which differs slightly from100% filling may likewise be sufficient, for example a filling to 90% orto more than 90% but below 100%. The elastically deformable material 16may in particular be an open-cell plastic. Foams of the type V16 B21 orMR 6290 or V10 B21 from Metzeler Schaum GmbH, Memmingen, Germany, or thefoam AstiTech® from Beil GmbH, Peine, Germany, as well as the foam withthe product No. 110190 from Schaumstoff Harti AG, Switzerland, areparticularly suitable as filling for the chamber 6.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which the elastic material is enclosed inan airtight sleeve 17 which can be inlaid in the chamber 6. In thisexample the sleeve 17 is provided with an inlet connection 11 whichforms the air inlet 5. The inlet valve (not shown here) can be disposedin the connecting piece 11 or in the sleeve at the transition from theconnecting piece to the sleeve 17. The sleeve 17 is connected to theoutlet 9 via a conduit 8 disposed here on the sleeve 17. The conduit 8can be inlaid in the channel of the lower part of the sole of FIG. 2.The outlet valve is then for example disposed in the outlet 9 or in thesleeve 17 at the transition from the sleeve to the conduit 8 or alongthe conduit 8. The advantage of the embodiment according to FIG. 3 isthat the chamber 6 in the sole itself does not need to be airtight,since the sleeve 17 surrounds the elastic material in an airtightmanner. This is particularly advantageous if the sole has a structurewhich is configured for the stitched design of the shoe. FIG. 4 shows aninsole 3 of the shoe sole with openings or with the passages 2 in thefront region which connect the inside of the shoe to the air inlet space4. The openings 2 are formed by perforation holes, but in other variantscan also be formed as slots or other shapes.

FIGS. 5 to 8 show in a similar representation a second embodiment of asole or a shoe equipped therewith. The same reference numerals as beforeare used for elements which are identical or have the same function. Thedifference from the first variant according to FIGS. 1 to 4 is that inaddition to the chamber 6 in the front region a second chamber 6′ isformed in the heel region with all the necessary elements for it tofunction such as additional insole openings 2′, a second air inlet space4′ in the heel region as well as an inlet opening 5′ and outlet opening9′ or inlet and outlet conduit, if also in the heel region the elasticmaterial is not introduced directly into the chamber 6′, but haspreviously been enclosed in an airtight sleeve. In the variant shown theair inlet chamber 4′ is positioned before the chamber 6′. In othervariants, however, it could also be disposed beside or behind thechamber 6′. Both chambers 6, 6′ could also be supplied via an individualair chamber 4, but this is not preferable. Moreover in contrast to thefirst variant the outlet opening 9 is disposed laterally further forwardand the second outlet opening 9′ is disposed right at the rear in theheel region. In the second variant the valves are not illustrated butare likewise present, in order to determine the air circulation in thepreviously described manner.

Thus with the second variant a ventilation cycle is made possible in thefront region and in the heel region and moreover a damping/spring actionis ensured in the front region DF and in the heel region D′/F′. Byanalogy with the first variant the used air A′ is discharged out of theheel region, wherein the flow direction is again indicated by arrows.

FIG. 7 shows, similarly to FIG. 3, that the elastic material can also bedisposed in an airtight sleeve 17′ in the heel region. Correspondinglythe elements 5′, 8′ and 10′ (connecting pieces) have the same functionas in FIG. 3. It is indicated by 19′ that the valve for the air outletcan be disposed at the end of the short conduit 8′. FIG. 8 shows theadditional apertures 2′ in the upper part of the sole 3 for the airinlet into the chamber 4′.

It does not show an additional throttle or additional throttle functionof the particular outlet valve, which is preferably provided for allvariants, and which, during the compression of the material in thechamber 6 (or optionally the chamber 6′) by decreasing the flowcross-section, throttles the outflow of air from the chamber or slows itdown more strongly than the outlet valve does. This increases thedamping effect due to the elastic material, which can only release theair contained in it through the throttle more slowly. Such a throttlemakes possible, as mentioned, an individual adjustment of the damping toan individual body weight and/or individual preference and/or to theshoe type. The throttle can be disposed at any location between theelastic material and the outlet 9. They can form a structural unit withthe outlet valve. The throttle may be adjustable or replaceable.Preferably it is disposed at or in the outlet 9 (and/or optionally theoutlet 9′), so that it is readily accessible for thereplacement/adjustment.

1. A shoe sole (1) with a compressible chamber (6) containing anelastically deformable material with at least one inlet (5) and at leastone outlet (8) and in each case an inlet valve (15) assigned to theinlet (5) and an outlet valve (19) assigned to the outlet (8), whereinthe chamber is connected by the inlet valve and an air inlet space (4)to passages (2) opening on the upper face (13) of the shoe sole andwherein the chamber (6) is connected by the outlet valve to an outlet(9) on the outer face of the shoe sole (1) outside the upper face (13)thereof, characterized in that the chamber (6) is disposed in the frontregion of the shoe sole (1) and is filled almost completely with theelastically deformable material (16), which is such that, during itselastic expansion, it absorbs air and, during its compression, itreleases air which has previously been absorbed.
 2. The shoe soleaccording to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an insole (3)and an outsole (7), wherein the insole forms the upper face of thechamber forms and has the passages (2) to the air inlet space (4). 3.The shoe sole according to claim 1, characterized in that the air inletspace (4) is disposed in the front region of the shoe sole (1), inparticular before the chamber (6).
 4. The shoe sole according to claim1, wherein the elastically deformable material (16) is an open-cellfoamed plastic.
 5. The shoe sole according to claim 1, characterized inthat the elastically deformable material is disposed in an airtightsleeve (17) which has at least one inlet connection (10) and at leastone outlet connection (8).
 6. The shoe sole (1) according to claim 1,characterized in that it is provided with a throttle assigned to theoutlet (9).
 7. The shoe sole according to claim 6, characterized in thatthe throttle is an adjustable throttle or a throttle disposedreplaceably in the shoe sole.
 8. The shoe sole according to claim 1,characterized in that a second chamber (6′) filled with elastic materialof the same type and having an inlet valve and an outlet valve is formedin the heel region and is connected via the inlet valve to an air inletspace (4′) which is in air connection with the upper face of the sole.9. The shoe sole (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the airinlet space (4′) is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the solebefore the second chamber (6′).
 10. The shoe with a shoe sole accordingto claim
 1. 11. The shoe according to claim 10, characterized in thatthe shoe with the sole is formed in directly soled design, in particularwith the sole injection molded on and in particular with the inner soleapplied by a Strobel process, or that the shoe with the sole is formedin a stitched manner.
 12. A method for adjusting the damping in a shoehaving a shoe sole according to claim 7, characterized in that thedamping is adjusted by adjustment of the adjustable throttle or byreplacement of the throttle by a throttle with a different passage.